Since my last two posts have focused on the new search for my biological family, I thought it appropriate to focus on my parents (my real parents). This is the story of my adoption, and what family and family history mean to me.

Despite having Dad test with AncestryDNA over a year ago, I never really did anything productive with his autosomal DNA results until now, after learning about transferring the raw data to Family Tree DNA. My FTDNA results and matches got unlocked and processed last week. Comparing Dad’s ethnicity estimates from both sites is my first step into analyzing his DNA.

Despite them both living in Los Angeles County, California, and Benjamin having a very large family in Los Angeles County, my grandparents Rosie Salas and Benjamin Robledo chose to marry in nearby Orange County. I found this out when I discovered their marriage record, which came as a big surprise to both me and my dad….because his parents married one city away from where I spent my entire childhood.

Two weeks ago today, I knocked one more piece off of a major brickwall ancestral line by identifying the names of two more sets of paternal 3rd great grandparents. Four new names and two new surnames provide clues to keep digging into my New Mexico and Old Mexico roots.